Burkhart Grob G103C TWIN III ACRO accident near Gregory, MI
On June 14, 2009, a Burkhart Grob G103C TWIN III ACRO (glider) was involved in an accident near Gregory, MI. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 14, 2009
- Place
- Gregory, MI
- Aircraft
- Burkhart Grob G103C TWIN III ACRO · Glider
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 42.442°N, 84.067°W
- NTSB ID
- 20090615X13631
Official records · CEN09LA353
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 14, 2009, about 1120 eastern daylight time, a Burkhart Grob G103C Twin III Acro glider, N103MS, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed during an in-flight collision with terrain near Gregory, Michigan. The local flight was being conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot sustained serious injuries and the passenger was fatally injured. The flight departed Richmond Field Airport (69G), Gregory, Michigan, shortly before the accident. The glider was owned and operated by the Sandhill Glider Club. The accident pilot was a member of the club. The airport (69G) was comprised of a single north-south turf runway. Published dimensions of Runway 18-36 were 2,471 feet long by 100 feet wide. However, glider operations were noted as using the turf area west of the runway. The accident takeoff was performed to the south (Runway 18) using a ground-based winch. The pilot reported that the takeoff and climb were normal until the glider reached approximately 400 feet above ground level (agl) when the winch cable broke. The pilot stated that he lowered the nose and established a speed of at least 60 knots. He continued the upwind pattern until the glider was in a position to begin a right 180-degree turn to line up with the landing area “with more than 200 [feet] of altitude.” The pilot noted that “at 200 [feet] a glider can safely execute a 180 degree turn back to the runway that it [had] taken off from.” The pilot stated: “I could feel in the c
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed during the turn to return for landing, which resulted an inadvertent stall/spin. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the ground winch tow cable shortly after takeoff.
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Browse: Michigan · Burkhart Grob aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
